Private wells in Marathon County test positive for coliform bacteria

2:14 AM,
Oct. 8, 2012

Dale Grosskurth

Written by

Jeff Starck
Wausau Daily Herald

Hundreds of private wells in Marathon County tested positive for coliform bacteria over the past five years, possibly putting those who use the water at risk of becoming sick by drinking water tainted by sewage and manure runoff.

Coliform was detected in between 14 percent and 19.5 percent of all wells tested for the bacteria in Marathon County between 2008 and 2012, according to the Marathon County Health Department. As of Wednesday, 257 of the 1,791 well tests, or about 14 percent, have tested positive this year, said Dale Grosskurth, the department's environmental health and safety ...